Tragedy Strikes New Troy Police Cat

TROY, MI – A day before police were to swear in the department's newest officer, a police cat named "Pawfficer Badges," they found out the kitten has been diagnosed feline leukemia. The kitty now will remain in the care of the Michigan Humane Society.

"We're confident that they will do everything they can for her," said Sgt. Meghan Lehman in an interview with Patch. That includes any medical care that she can get. "They don't just put a cat down."

The department was told of Badges' diagnosis on Thursday afternoon. The department then shared the bad news in a statement on its Facebook page.

"It's pretty bad," Lehman said. Ideally, the Humane Society will be able to find someone who can care for Badges. "We don't know if she can be adopted."

Because feline leukemia is extremely contagious to other cats and Badges' handler has other cats, it was not appropriate for her to be adopted by the force. Thus, the department will meet on Friday to see if another suitable police cat might be available for the department, Lehman said.

"If we find the right cat, we will go forward with the ceremony tomorrow," Lehman said.

The Troy Police held a campaign earlier this year to increase the number of followers on Twitter. The department challenged the community, saying if it could get 10,000 followers to its Twitter account, it would adopt a police cat.

The department exceeded that number and, after an "interview process" at the Humane Society in April, picked Badges. The community also voted on the feline recruit's name, and selected "Badges."

Meantime, the department is handling the news as best it can, Lehman said.

"She will always be our first "pawfficer" and have a special place in our hearts," said the department in the Facebook statement.

Image via Troy Police